Air Force One
Category:Content lead Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States.Order 7110.65R (Air Traffic Control) Federal Aviation Administration 14 March 2007. Retrieved: 27 August 2007. In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft whose primary mission is to transport the president; however, any U.S. Air Force aircraft may carry the "Air Force One" call sign while the president is on board. Air Force One is a prominent symbol of the American presidency and its power, and the aircraft are among the most famous and most photographed in the world.Wallace, Chris (host). "Aboard Air Force One." Fox News, November 24, 2008. Retrieved: November 28, 2008. The "Air Force One" call sign was created after a 1953 incident involving a flight carrying President Dwight D. Eisenhower entering the same airspace as a commercial airline flight using the same call sign. Several aircraft have been used as Air Force One since the creation of the presidential fleet. Since 1990, the presidential fleet has consisted of two Boeing VC-25As – specifically configured, highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft. The Air Force is currently looking into replacing the two aircraft used as Air Force One, with Boeing the only contender. The Air Force expects three aircraft, one each delivered in fiscal 2017, 2019 and 2021. History Boeing 747s The VC-25 is equipped with both secure and unsecure phone and computer communications systems, enabling the president to perform duties while in the air in the event of an attack on the United States. and First Lady walk on the tarmac as Air Force One sits at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, March 1, 2006.]] The presidential air fleet is maintained by the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. Air Force One usually does not have fighter aircraft to escort the presidential aircraft over the United States, but this has occurred. In June 1974, while President Nixon was on his way to a scheduled stop in Syria, Syrian fighter jets intercepted Air Force One to act as escorts. However, the Air Force One crew was not informed in advance and, as a result, took evasive action including a dive.[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/liveonline/03/special/books/sp_books_walsh052203.htm "Washington Post Online conversation with Kenneth Walsh on his Air Force One: A History of the Presidents and Their Planes".] washingtonpost.com, May 22, 2002. Retrieved: October 18, 2009. One of the most dramatic episodes aboard Air Force One happened during the September 11 attacks. President George W. Bush was interrupted at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida after the attack on the World Trade Center South Tower. He flew on a VC-25 from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana and then to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska before returning to Washington. The next day, officials at the White House and the Justice Department explained that President Bush did this because there was "specific and credible information that the White House and Air Force One were also intended targets.""Press Briefing by Ari Fleischer." White House News releases, September 2001. Retrieved: October 18, 2009. The White House later could not confirm evidence of a threat made against Air Force One, and subsequent investigation found the original claim to be a result of miscommunication.Allen, Mike. "White House Drops Claim of Threat to Bush." The Washington Post, p. A08, September 27, 2001. Retrieved: February 28, 2007. Other presidential aircraft and Secret Service Agents ]] timeline References ;Notes ;Bibliography * Abbott James A. and Elaine M. Rice. Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1998. ISBN 0-442-02532-7. * Albertazzie, Ralph and Jerald F. TerHorst. Flying White House: The Story of Air Force One. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1979. ISBN 0-698-10930-9. * Braun, David. "Q&A: U.S. Presidential Jet Air Force One." National Geographic News, May 29, 2003. * Dorr, Robert F. Air Force One. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International, 2002. ISBN 0-7603-1055-6. * Hardesty, Von. Air Force One: The Aircraft that Shaped the Modern Presidency. Chanhassen, Minnesota: Northword Press, 2003. ISBN 1-55971-894-3. * Harris, Tom. "How Air Force One Works." HowStuffWorks.com. Retrieved: October 10, 2006. * Walsh, Kenneth T. Air Force One: A History of the Presidents and Their Planes. New York: Hyperion, 2003. ISBN 1-4013-0004-9. External links Category:United States Air Force Category:Call signs